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New Australian Regulations To Protect Thoroughbreds Effective May 1

Racing Australia will begin enforcing its new traceability rules on May 1. Created in an effort to ensure Thoroughbred health and welfare by tracing racehorses throughout their lives, officials hope the rules will result in positive equine welfare outcomes.

The new rules will require regular and detailed reporting of a horse's status and movements, providing transparency about where Australian Thoroughbreds are and what they are doing. The rules apply to breeding horses, unnamed horses not registered to race, named and registered racehorses and retired racehorses. Racing Australia must be made aware of a horse's change of ownership, location change, retirement from breeding or racing, and a status update must be provided if the horse hasn't raced for six months. Death of a horse is also reportable. Each of these events must be reported to Racing Australia within a specific timeframe.

The new regulations also allow for stewards to enter a property to assess a horse's health and welfare; stewards are permitted to bring along anyone necessary to assist in the examinations. Anyone found to be in violation of these new rules is subject to restrictions of their ability to race or breed, and the withholding of earnings.

Though current reporting obligations end when a horse is retired from racing, sending a horse directly to slaughter or sending it to a sale where it might be sold to slaughter is prohibited. A potential joint effort between the racing industry and the government has been proposed to ensure retired racehorses stay safe throughout their lifetime, even after they leave the jurisdiction of Racing Australia.

Is There Such A Thing As Too Many Carrots?

Many horse owners and caretakers offer their horses treats as a reward or as a sign of affection, and most horses willingly eat the more-traditional treats of apples and carrots. But is there such a thing as too many treats? Can feeding too many harm a horse's health?

Some horse owners feed up to 10 gallons (or more) of carrots to their horses with no ill effects, reporting that the carrots add weight and are a good water substitute. Kentucky Equine Research notes if the horse doesn't have metabolic issues, there is most likely no harm in feeding that quantity of carrots, but there is concern as to if the horse is obtaining all the dry matter and nutrients needed for a healthy diet.

Carrots are primarily water (85 to 90 percent), so they do assist in keeping a horse hydrated. Assuming one five-gallon bucket of carrots is a meal, the horse would be consuming just 1.5 pounds of dry matter, of which 25 percent is water-soluble carbohydrates. As the horse takes a while to eat through the bucket of carrots, the nearly six ounces of sugar and three ounces of soluble fiber from the carrots slowly enters his bloodstream.

The high amount of water could make the horse's manure loose and provides him with a lot of calories, so he may pack on the pounds. Additionally, the horse's coat may develop an orange tint as some of the beta-carotenes are absorbed as carotenes by body tissues. Carrots do not contain significant amounts of other nutrients.

New App Helps Owners Determine If Horses In Pain

A new smartphone app can help horse owners and caretakers determine if their horse is in pain. A joint project between the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht University and Stichting De Paardenkamp, the Equine Pain and Welfare App (EPWA) uses scientific pain measurement to help determine if a call to a veterinarian is warranted.

The app asks for user input on physiological variables, like heart and respiration rate; behaviors like lying down or rolling; and facial expressions that include the movement of the mouth, ears, eyes and nostrils. It then calculates a pain score between 0 and 18; users are advised to contact a vet if the score is above a 5.

The app also has a checklist to see if a horse is showing signs of Cushing's disease. A journal feature allows owners to input how much a horse eats, medications he may take and how often he exercises. It also includes 10 recommendations for equine welfare, and a place to record medical information and appointments.

The app is free from the App Store and Google Play.

For more details, click here (language can be changed through Google translate).

Equine Disease Communication Celebrates Five Years Of Improving Horse Health

This year, the Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC) is celebrating five years as an industry initiative, which continues to advocate for the use of technology in reporting equine diseases. Conceived after a major equine herpesvirus outbreak in 2011 involving more than 240 equine premises in 19 states and two Canadian providences, it was apparent a universal communication system for the equine industry was necessary to help prevent disease spread.

Rapid spread of infectious disease can do irreparable harm to horse health and cripple the horse industry. Just as the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the need for consistent reliable medical information for people, the Equine Disease Communication Center serves as the source for providing the current facts about infectious disease in horses.

During the last five years, the EDCC has sent out more than 1,800 alerts for about 4,460 cases or outbreaks to more 8,400 email subscribers and 13,970 Facebook followers. The website (https://www.equinediseasecc.org) offers horse owners pertinent disease fact sheets and biosecurity information, all reviewed by veterinarians on the American Association of Equine Practitioners Infectious Disease Committee.

The benefits of the EDCC communication system are evident from recent outbreaks of equine herpesvirus at racetracks where large numbers of horses comingle and frequently move to and from the tracks, farms and training centers. The prompt EDCC reports have allowed the affected track and local equine community to communicate the steps taken to stop the disease from spreading.

Dr. Kathleen Anderson from Equine Veterinary Care at the Fair Hill training Center uses the EDCC to keep informed about current disease outbreaks across the country. “Having timely and reliable information allows unaffected racetracks and other horse facilities to assess risk before moving horses. Knowing that a track or farm has successfully contained the disease by quarantine helps surrounding horse activity to continue uninterrupted.”

Until five years ago, the equine community had to rely on multiple sources to learn about infectious diseases in their area. That sometimes-caused confusion and misinformation. Because horses are transported more than any other animal, up to date information is necessary to know where there is a disease risk. “I am happy to celebrate five years of growth for the EDCC service and look forward to increasing of our efforts to educate all stakeholders about infectious disease,” says Dr. Nathaniel White, director of the EDCC.

The EDCC is entirely dependent on funding from owners, horse organizations and allied companies. “The need for this type of system has been a long time coming, and we are happy to be a part of the EDCC's efforts to continue to protect and improve horse health by providing real-time and reliable information,” says, Dr. Katie Flynn, chair of the AAEP, Infectious Disease Committee.

Donations are needed annually to support the EDCC staff and activity. To donate, click here.

Learn more about the EDCC here.

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